| I. |
AUTHOR: Hosea |
| |
A. |
His name,
u^v@oh, means "salvation"
and should be spelled "Hoshea" but has come down in English as
Hosea. This does distinguish him from the last king of Israel (Hoshea
c. 732-722) |
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B. |
He is the son of Beeri |
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C. |
Unlike Amos, Hosea
preached to his own people in Israel |
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D. |
He may have been among
the priests in his station in view of his knowledge concerning
religious affairs, but this is not certain |
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E. |
He had three children who
played a vital part in his message to the nation of Israel : |
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|
1. |
Jezreel (
laurzy ) "God sows" (1:4) |
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2. |
Lo-ruhamah (
hmjr al ) "No compassion"
(1:6f) |
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|
3. |
Lo-ammi (
ymu al ) "Not my people"
(1:8ff)[In 2:4 there is the suggestion that the second and third
child may not have been Hosea's, but from an adulterous
relationship] |
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F. |
Chapters one and three
provide little biographical information since they primarily teach
about Israel |
| II. |
DATE :790-686 B.C. |
| |
A. |
The first verse of
chapter one provides a historical setting: |
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|
1. |
During the following
kings of Judah: |
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|
|
a. |
Uzziah 790-739 |
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|
|
b. |
Jotham 750-731 |
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|
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c. |
Ahaz 735-715 |
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|
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d. |
Hezekiah 729-686 |
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|
2. |
During the reign of
Jeroboam II the son of Joash (793-753) in Israel |
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|
3. |
It seems that Hosea lived
beyond the captivity of Israel in 722 since Hezekiah's reign is
mentioned |
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B. |
The Kings of Assyria
which span this time are: |
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|
1. |
Tiglath-Pileser III
(745-727) |
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|
2. |
Shalmaneser V (727-722) |
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|
3. |
Sargon II (722-705) |
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4. |
Sennacherib (705-681) |
| III. |
HISTORICAL SETTING: |
| |
A. |
Even though the latter
part of Jeroboam's reign brought about prosperity (see discussion
in Amos outline) it ended with chaos as four kings reigned in one
year (753 B.C.: Jeroboam, Zechariah, Shallum and Menahem) |
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B. |
Tiglath-Pileser forced
Menahem into submission |
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C. |
Tiglath-Pileser defeated
Pekah and placed Hoshea on the throne |
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D. |
Hoshea rebelled and was
defeated by Shalmaneser V in his taking of Samaria and the
deportation of the people in 722 B.C. |
| |
E. |
Hosea may have begun his
ministry during the end of Jeroboam II's reign and on through that
of Zechariah, Shallum, Menanhem, Pekahiah, Pekah, and Hoshea: |
| |
|
1. |
In 1:4 the assumption is
that Hosea began his ministry while Jeroboam was alive (cf. 1:1
with 1:4) |
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|
2. |
The list of the kings of
Judah implies that his ministry continued through (past) the times
of the kings of Israel (1:1) |
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|
3. |
If the time of Amos was
one of inner crumbling for Israel, the time of Hosea was
characterized by a steady decline as the stability of the kingly
line fell and Assyria increased her grip and ultimate defeat of
the nation |
| IV. |
AUDIENCE: Primarily to
the people of the northern kingdom, Israel, but also to the
southern kingdom of Judah (southern Kings in 1:1) |
| V. |
PURPOSES FOR THE BOOK: |
| |
A. |
To call Israel and Judah
to repentance in Yahweh, the God of loyal love |
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B. |
To reveal the
faithlessness of the nation toward their covenant with Yahweh |
| |
C. |
To indict the nation of
its lack of knowledge, loyal love, and faithfulness |